Automatic wiring connection



Nov; 18, 1952 COOK 2,618,680

' AUTOMATIC WIRING CONNECTION Filed June 23, 1949 Patented Nov. 18, 1952 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE AUTOMATIC WIRING CONNECTION William H. Cook, Toledo, Ohio Application June 23, 1949, Serial No. 100,898

Claims.

This invention relates to electric terminal connection means, especially between a conductor line take-off and a socket.

This invention has utility when incorporated in a two-prong type of electric fitting in which there is a one-piece insulation housing and the prong-providing terminals have fixed therewith electric wire insulation penetrating points against which a bend of the insulated wire may be pulled, not only to effect the terminal connection to the stranded wire covered by the insulation, but simultaneously to lock effectively the insulated wire in the insulation housing of the fitting.

Referring to the drawings:

Fig. l is a side elevation, on an enlarged scale, and with parts broken away to show the lead-in connection of an insulated wire pair as connected in a two-prong electric fitting;

Fig. 2 is an end elevation, or looking from the right of Fig. 1, line IIII;

Fig. 3 is an end elevation looking from the line IlI'III at the left of Fig. l

Fig. 4 is a section thru the insulation housing, on the line IVIV, Fig. 3

Fig. 5 is a still further enlarged View, in section on the line V-V, Fig. 2 of the terminal only;

Fig. 6 is an end elevation of the terminal from the line VIVI, at the left of Fig. 5; and

Fig. '7 is a plan view of the terminal, looking down on the showing in Fig. 5, line VIIVII.

Wire strands I, 2, are in insulation 3 having a re-entrant or minor thickness central tearable bond 4 therebetween.

One-piece housing 5 of insulation is shown with a minor overall dimension end 6 having an entrance port I with a straight way 8 therefrom to a chamber portion 9 to an opening it at the insulation housing 5 member end ll remote from and parallel to the port I. A medial wall or partition [2 along the way 8 is from an end closure l3 for a pocket I4 in the housing 5. The wire strand pair carrying insulation 3 as inserted in the port 1 may be to an extent to protrude thru the opening it. The operator may then direct end I5 of such insulated wire thru theopening in and the chamber 9 to enter the pocket M on the side of the partition l2 away from the way 8, and accordingly to the pocket bottom or end closure [3, remote from the insulation wire bend I6.

Prong H has near its outer end an opening l8. This brass or electrical conductor terminal from its straight prong I! has an ofiset [9 to a medial rib flanked by a pair of short flat portions 2!. The rib 20 ends at a slot 22. There is a minor reverse offset 23 from the portions 2| to a straight portion 24 along the slot 22 to an end 25. From the slot 22 and approximately parallel to the portion 24, altho outwardly offset therefrom slightly beyond the portions 2| and even outward from the rib 20, is an insulation-penetration-operable point 26 having taper 21 on its side portion toward the slot 22.

Somewhat toward the end 6 of the housing 5, near the inner end of the partition [2, is ledge end or shoulder 28 as the inner end or bottom of the chamber 9. Adjacent the end H, there is from the opening [0 an inward notch or recess 29 into which the terminal offset I9 may lodge as the terminal end 25 abuts the shoulder 28. The pair of prong-providing electrical terminals may thus be frictionally fixed with the housing 5, and clear of the way 8 and the pocket I6 snugly fitting in seats outwardly from intermediate widened portion 30 of the chamber 9.

The unit housing insulation 5 is preferably a rigid body, say of plastic. The production dimension relation between the integral body 5 with the pair of parallel seats along the opposite sides of the chamber 9 is such that there is snug frictionally locking of the terminal portions 24 with the terminal ends 25 at the shoulders 28 and the oifsets it in the recesses 29. This thrust-in assembly is not sufficient to fracture the unit 5. At the terminal portions 24 there is no encroachment whatsoever an alignment extended course from the way 8 or from the pocket It as thru the chamber 9 toward the end opening it. Considering the direction of insertion for a conductor lead wire pair entering the port I, there may be a very slight reduction in the course clearance by the offsets 23. Any out-of-straight direction for the rubber covered or elastic jacketed strands of lead wire tends to distort or widen its form. Therefrom it follows that in shifting the wire in the chamber 9 away from alignment with the way 8 toward the plane of the partition 12, locates such shifting in proximity to the point 26. Accompanying such shifting with a crowding toward the points 26 effects impaling penetration of the points thru the insulation jackets 3 to ride between strands i for one of the points 26 and between strands 2 for the other point 25. The thrusting down of the kinked or shifted portion may be sufiicient for the tips of the points 26 to be exposed toward the end II as in the chamber 9. It is to be noted that under the foregoing outlined practice, there is no occasion to strip or bare the strands l or 2 in effecting the electrical circuit conductor connection between the lead 3 conductor and the terminal in the fitting. There is thereby total avoidance of short-circuiting or electric current leakage in the fitting. The insulation 3 as good outside the fitting retains such efiiciency to and at the terminals.

The time-saving factor hereunder does not stop with elimination of occasion for stripping or baring portions of the wire strands for direct engagement with the terminal to be connected thereto. Instead of lack of uniformity arising from attempting, say by pushing an element thru the opening ID to crowd the wire toward a point 26, there is developed hereunder a more speedy and uniformly accurate as well as effective method, series of steps or process.

The one having the fitting comprising the housing 5 and the terminal pair seated therein, has only to thrust thru the port I, the pair of stranded wires I, 2, having the insulation jacket 3. This thrusting is along the way 8, thru the chamber 9 to protrude sufiiciently that the end 15 may be bowed back into the opening to be directed thru the chamber 9 into the pocket 14'. A bend or kink I6 is thus formed, which initially may beoutward from the opening It]. With this bowing of the wire end l toward the pocket H as the second step, the third step may be for the one to grasp the housing 5 with one hand and with the other hand pull the stranded wirelpair at the portion thereof protruding from the port I, away from such port. This operation at once draws the bend [6 thru the opening in and. into the chamber 9. The kink or bend l6 has increased the overall width of the pair so that in riding into the chamber 9 there is crowdinginthe' sliding along the faces 2| of the terminal, with supplemental squeezing by the ribs 20min directing the bend I3 for firm holding to impinge on the points 25. The continuation of the third step pulling causes the points 26 to penetrate the insulation 3 and ride into the strands I 2, and therepastfor the point tips to protrude from the opposite side of the insulation' 3. The taper 2'! and the slot 22 provide clearance for this electrical connection anchorage; The bend l6 approach to the partition [2 is 'a positive anchoring of the lead wire insulation with the fitting and does not place a physical strain on the wire at the points 26. In the event there be occasion to disconnect the wires, considerable inward thrust is required toward the port I.

What. is claimed and it is desired to secure by letters Patent is:

1. An electric connector fitting. comprising. an insulation housing having a chamber therein, an entranoe way into said chamber for a conductor lead wire, a pocket opening into said chamber parallel and adjacent to said way and spaced from said way less than the width of said way, and a terminal in said chamber having a con- .4 ductor piercing point in said chamber parallel with said pocket and said way and spaced between them, said point being directed parallel to and away from said pocket.

2. An electric connector fitting comprising an insulation housing having a chamber therein and having a pair of adjacent laterally spaced independent ports opening into said chamber at least one of which ports extends through said housing, said spacing between said ports being less than twice the width of a port, a terminal in said chamber having a conductor piercing point in said chamber directed away from and between the openings ofv said ports into said chamber. whereby a wire introduced into the one of said ports extending through said housing and bent back in said chamber into the other of said ports is pierced by said point when said wire in the one of said ports is pulled in a direction out of said chamber.

3. A fitting according to claim 2 wherein s'aid ports are spaced by a partition portion of said housing of less thickness than the width of one of said ports.

4. A fitting according to claim 2 including projecting means on said terminal adjacent said point for guiding a wire into piercing position by said point.

5. An electric connector fitting comprising: an insulation housing. having a chamber therein and two laterally spaced independent ports in said housing opening in said chamber for an insulation spaced pair of conductor lea'd wires at least one of said ports extending through said housing, said spacing between said ports being. less than twice the width of a port, a pair of 'spaced' terminals in said chamber each having a conductor piercing point in said chamber directed away from and between the openings of said. ports into said chamber, whereby aspaced pair of. wires introduced into the one port extending through said housing and bent back in said chamber into the other port has each wire thereof pierced by one of said points when said pair of Wires is pulled in a direction out of said chamber.

WILLIAM H. COOK.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 2,121,063 Walter --c- June 21, 1938 2,159,064 Walter. ..c. May 23,v 1939 2,333,266 Miller Nov. 2, 1943 2,353,732 Kingsley July 18, 1944 2,433,892 Cordis Jan. 6, 1948 2,482,965 Cook Sept. 2'l, 1949 2,482,966 Cook Sept. 27, 1949 

